Hi,
I just received the Silversea brochure and am very impressed by what I saw and read and I would love to sail on one of their ships cause tipping is included and especially ALL drinks. But I do have a question, like alot of other cruise ships where you have to pay to eat at the "alternative" restaurants, are all the restaurants on all Silversea ships included in the total price of the cruise???

According to the website and reviews that I have read, the alternative restaurant requires reservations but does not carry an additional charge.

The only things not included in your cruise are wines not of the house list of 25 reds and 25 whites, dry cleaning and laundry sent in (self service laundry is included with free detergent), spa charges, beauty salon charges, internet access and on board shopping.

I am booked on the December 6, 2004 Aruba to Aruba cruise in a Vista Suite as single occupancy and I am really looking forward to a luxury cruise. My last two cruises have been on Holland America and on the last HAL cruise I got nickled and dimed to death. When I figured out how much wine, liquor and gratuities were, it becomes much less in cost since every cruise (7 of them) ended up with several hundreds of dollars of charges for items included by Silversea.

which ship are you taking? On Shadow there are two reservation-only alternative restaurants. Neither has cover charge of course. The smaller one, I forgot the name, serves only the premium wines at extra charge, and this is the only charge you encounter on the ship, except personal expenses like tours, spa, laundry, etc. No house wine is served there. But everywhere else wine flows freely. Very premium wines and caviar are extra, and that's fair enough. They have free shuttle bus service to downtowns, sometimes quite a long distance one, so you won't be spending money on taxi, either.
Your vacation budget has just gone up. Once you experience Silversea, you can't go back to Holland America, as good as they are for a mass market line.

As a seasoned cruiser you will never find a better cruise line.. We are on the Shadow 2 times a year.. and so are most of the passengers. Our last cruise to China I took up beginner bridge..We just booked again for Mexico. not for the destination but for the service..

I agree. I can't imagine a more pleasant experience than Silversea. We are booked for a 45-day cruise next year. I wouldn't do a cruise this long in any of the mass market lines no matter what bargain I'd get.

Based on what I read in their brochures, on their website, in reviews and what the travel agent told me, alternative restaurants are reservation only but no charge.

I am going on the Silver Whisper out of Aruba on Monday, December 6, 2004 for a 7 day cruise. I am looking foward to the "all-inclusive" pampering that is the Silversea reputation.

I have a Visa Suite on Deck 5 which is very similar to the Midship Verandah suites. The Vista Suites on Deck 5 have sliding glass doors and the group of 9 Vista Suites have a common deck area instead of divided verandahs but at much lower fares than the Midship Verandah suites on the other side of the ship. I ended up paying $1642 for the week including taxes and the single supplement.

No cover charge anywhere. The only expense you encounter is at the small speciality restaurant - I forgot the name - doesn't serve house wines. You need to buy wine from premium wine list. Oh, and premium brands of caviar and cigars. But house wine and caviar flow freely.

We just got off of the Shadow. We only had to pay for our wine in La Champagne, which is an alternate. They don't serve the house wines in this restaurant. The alternate list is quite good. We were very pleased. So much that we are doing the transatlantic crossing in August.

No tipping, it is included. I tried twice and both times it was politely refused. You pay for shore excursions and spa. That is it.